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According to published reports surfacing Thursday, AT&T is reportedly ready to begin canning the unlimited data plans of subscribers who have jailbroken their iPhones and tether/hotspot off of AT&T's no-longer offered unlimited data plans.

Our friends at 9to5Mac have been hearing from readers who claim to be possessed of the knowledge that Thursday, August 11th 2011, will bring with it an end to unlimited data for those who commit the offense described above.

"If you use MyWi or any tethering on the phone or using the phone as a modem, AT&T will automatically change your unlimited plan to a 2Gb tethering plan for 45 dollars without the customers consent," the article reads. "This is for those who received emails or texts about the use of tethering without an AT&T tethering plan."

AT&T, however, reportedly gave the offenders in question an opportunity to "stop tethering and keep their current plan" before the unlimited data rug was pulled out from beneath them.

As it now stands, AT&T is confirming this report, but won't pinpoint August 11th as the definitive date for this unlimited data Armageddon. One AT&T rep is quoted as saying: "Our goal here is fairness for all of our customers. (This impacts a only small percentage of our smartphone customer base.)"

So how do they know the difference between us tethering and us watching a lot of streaming videos or downloading a lot of apps from **********?

I purchased MyWi for mine and my wife's i4's but we almost never use it and when we do its only for a few minutes or so. However, I download tons and tons of apps and she watches a lot of streaming videos.

I've said it before and I will say it again, HOW CAN THIS BE LEGAL! If you pay for data it should be just like it is with home internet, they shouldnt be able to tell you what you can or cant hook up to it to use. It's just like back in the old days where cable companies could charge you per TV hooked up to the cable line not per household. It's a shame that someone with the $$ and some good lawyers took these damn companies to court.

Not everyone that JB and uses tethering are data hogs, on average I use about 500-750MB a month, I just need the ability to use my laptop to RDC and other stuff when traveling and I shouldnt have to pay more to use it, the data from my laptop is no different than the data to my phone, period.

So how do they know the difference between us tethering and us watching a lot of streaming videos or downloading a lot of apps from **********?

I purchased MyWi for mine and my wife's i4's but we almost never use it and when we do its only for a few minutes or so. However, I download tons and tons of apps and she watches a lot of streaming videos.

Basically At&t has a special APN used for data tethering and MyWi uses it making it easy for big blue to know who’s tethering and whos not. It is reported that TetherMe and PDANet actually use the normal Data APN for tethering so At&t can’t see your sneaky little self unofficially tethering, both apps are available through cydia for a small fee. Check em out if you want to avoid the expensive At&t tax…

Either use TeatherMe/PDANet and make sure the appropriate settings are on or keep MyWi and edit your Teather APN so that it matches your data APN.

Not everyone that JB and uses tethering are data hogs, on average I use about 500-750MB a month, I just need the ability to use my laptop to RDC and other stuff when traveling and I shouldnt have to pay more to use it, the data from my laptop is no different than the data to my phone, period.

+1. Im on unlimited and my iphone is JB and has MyWi installed. I only average about 1-2gb a month and rarely use MyWi unless I find myself stranded and need to send important files from my computer or something. The people that download torrents using tethering tho should suffer... 10-20gb a month? Are you kidding? I think if you are a power user (5GB +) there should be some restrictions. Taking away unlimited data for those granfathered in is going to cause a lot of angry users. I myself dont take advantage of my unlimited data by tethering daily and whatnot, but it is nice to know that if I go over 2GB, I wont get slapped with a $10 "service" fee for another Gb when I only went over a few more mbs like my wife did.

I've said it before and I will say it again, HOW CAN THIS BE LEGAL! If you pay for data it should be just like it is with home internet, they shouldnt be able to tell you what you can or cant hook up to it to use. It's just like back in the old days where cable companies could charge you per TV hooked up to the cable line not per household. It's a shame that someone with the $$ and some good lawyers took these damn companies to court.

Read your contract and the TOS. All Cell companies explicitly reserve the right to alter or change a customers plan at any time without prior consent. They don't even have to give prior notice, but they did to those people who might be affected by this with the prior emails.

I've said it before and I will say it again, HOW CAN THIS BE LEGAL! If you pay for data it should be just like it is with home internet, they shouldnt be able to tell you what you can or cant hook up to it to use. It's just like back in the old days where cable companies could charge you per TV hooked up to the cable line not per household. It's a shame that someone with the $$ and some good lawyers took these damn companies to court.

I got a email from att even though i had not even used tethering or mywi. I just use that much data on my iPhone. I only get 2gb a month and use about 4. I'm sorry but 2gb isn't enough data for a smartphone that does what the iPhone does. If i have to pay $45 extra a month to use the phone i will b pissed! My bill is around $100 a month without overages! For that money i should have everything unlimited on top of paying $200 for the phone! Kinda glad i only have 1 year left on my contract! I love my iPhone but they are squeezing my balls a little too tight!

It ALWAYS only "impacts a only small percentage of our smartphone customer base"

Just like uVerse download caps "only impact a small percentage of users".

I cant stand AT&T anymore. They're too greedy. They're only doing all this to save their dying network so they can support the T-Mobile acquisition. They decided to put money into buying out competition instead of pouring it into upgrading the network. Who would of thought?!

Ummmm... the TOS for data services explicitly prohibit tethering and make it clear that they can re-rate you. If you are tethering and don't have a tethering plan, then AT&T would be within their rights to say YOU were the one breaching.

This is not a judgment about whether it is appropriate to prohibit tethering on the unlimited plan, or whether the only way to get it on the 2GB plan is to be forced to buy another 2GB. (That debate is separate.) It is just the simple observation that AT&T has the ability to do what it is doing... and using it as a way to break free of a contract probably won't work.